Oriental Orthodox Churches

views updated

Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopian and Armenian Orthodox churches. They have in common their historic rejection of the Council of Chalcedon and its christology of two natures in Christ. They are therefore sometimes called the ‘non-Chalcedonian’ Churches (although properly this term includes the Church of the East also). They should not be confused with the (‘Eastern’) Orthodox churches, which are Chalcedonian. Since the 1960s the Oriental Orthodox have held conferences together, and, aiming at theological reconciliation, with the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.